College of DuPage: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Chicago, Illinois · Private nonprofit · Open access · CDS 2025-2026
College of DuPage is a private nonprofit university in Chicago, Illinois that admits about 81% of applicants, making it a open access school. The average family pays about $35,196 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Biology, General and Psychology, General, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 74% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 3.3 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
College of DuPage is a private institution located in Chicago, Illinois. For the most recent reporting cycle, College of DuPage admits the majority of qualified applicants, with an overall admission rate of 81%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1283 and an ACT composite around 30. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $35,196 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether College of DuPage is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for College of DuPage?
College of DuPage has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
What does College of DuPage weight in admissions?
College of DuPage reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2025-2026). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Academic GPA
- • Class rank
- • Standardized test scores
- • Talent/ability
- • First generation status
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Level of applicant's interest
- • Interview
- • Geographical residence
- • State residency
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
SAT and ACT scores College of DuPage typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 570–660, with an EBRW midpoint near 640. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 27–31. Many applicants here submit scores; even slightly below the average can be competitive when combined with a strong GPA and curriculum.
| 25th percentile | 1220 |
| 50th percentile | 1283 |
| 75th percentile | 1390 |
| % submitting SAT | 39% |
| 25th percentile | 26 |
| 50th percentile | 30 |
| 75th percentile | 31 |
| % submitting ACT | 15% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Considered if submitted
Where admitted students ranked in their high school class
Class rank distribution gives parents a clear sense of how academically dominant a typical admitted student was within their own high school cohort — often a more meaningful signal than absolute GPA.
| Top 10% of class | 37.3% |
| Top 25% of class | 69.3% |
| Top 50% of class | 91.6% |
| % submitting class rank | 19.2% |
How much does College of DuPage actually cost?
Published tuition is $51,716 for in-state students and $51,716 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $16,894 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $35,196 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 23% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | $56,930 |
| Room and board | $17,980 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $35,196 |
| Application fee | — |
Application deadlines and early decision data for College of DuPage
| Notification date | Rolling basis beginning 10/15 |
| Reply deadline | May 1 or within 2 weeks of notification |
| Rolling admissions | Yes |
Will my child graduate from College of DuPage?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Most popular majors at College of DuPage
The most popular undergraduate programs at College of DuPage, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Biology, General and Psychology, General. Across all programs, College of DuPage confers roughly 1,725 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing program report a median income of about $86,020 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 415 | $86,020 |
| Biology, General | 305 | $67,114 |
| Psychology, General | 269 | $59,090 |
| Marketing | 170 | $85,371 |
| Political Science and Government | 160 | $68,766 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 146 | $102,491 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 139 | $67,395 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 121 | $72,266 |
Is College of DuPage safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), College of DuPage disclosed 39 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 3.3 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 5 violent offenses and 17 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
What is campus life like at College of DuPage?
About 42% of undergraduates at College of DuPage live in campus housing, so a meaningful share of students commute or live off campus. In Greek life, 5% of men join a fraternity and 9% of women join a sorority. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
Other colleges in Illinois parents ask about
- University of Chicago7% acceptance
- Northwestern University5% acceptance
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign44% acceptance
- University of Illinois Chicago70% acceptance
- DePaul University55% acceptance
- Loyola University Chicago93% acceptance
- Illinois State University89% acceptance
- Southern Illinois University-Carbondale90% acceptance
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like College of DuPage
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like College of DuPage recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about College of DuPage
What GPA do I need for College of DuPage?
College of DuPage has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission.
What SAT or ACT score does College of DuPage typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 570–660, with an EBRW midpoint near 640. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 27–31.
How much does College of DuPage actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at College of DuPage after grants and scholarships is $35,196 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is College of DuPage realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, College of DuPage is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at College of DuPage?
College of DuPage accepts about 81% of applicants out of roughly 43,954 who apply each year. It admits the majority of qualified applicants.
Is College of DuPage test-optional?
Yes. College of DuPage is test-optional, so SAT and ACT scores are not required, but strong scores can still be submitted and will be considered.
What is the graduation rate at College of DuPage?
About 74% of students at College of DuPage graduate within six years. 85% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
What does College of DuPage look for in applicants?
College of DuPage rates course rigor and GPA as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is College of DuPage a public or private school, and where is it located?
College of DuPage is a private nonprofit institution located in Chicago, Illinois.
What are the most popular majors at College of DuPage?
The largest undergraduate majors at College of DuPage by annual graduates are Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Biology, General and Psychology, General. The school awards about 1,725 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is College of DuPage safe? What is its campus crime rate?
College of DuPage reported 39 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 3.3 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at College of DuPage?
At College of DuPage, 42% of undergraduates live on campus, 5% of men are in fraternities, 9% of women are in sororities, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Data sourced from the 2025-2026 Common Data Set submitted by College of DuPage, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.